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Airline customer satisfaction has declined for a third consecutive year to a four-year low in 2009, according to J.D. Power and Associates.

Published: 03 Jul 2009

Airline customer satisfaction has declined for a third consecutive year to a four-year low in 2009, according to J.D. Power and Associates.

The survey, which queried nearly 13,000 travelers, measured airlines in seven categories: cost and fees; flight crew; in-flight services; aircraft; boarding/deplaning/baggage; check-in; and reservation.

For a fourth consecutive year, JetBlue ranked highest in the low-cost carrier segment. J.D. Power says it performed well in two of seven categories measured - aircraft and in-flight services. Southwest Airlines and WestJet followed, in a tie.

Alaska Airlines topped in the latest J.D. Power and Associates 2009 North America Airline Satisfaction survey of traditional network carriers. According to the survey, Alaska performed well in five of the seven categories: flight crew; aircraft; boarding/deplaning/baggage; check-in; and reservation.

On a positive note, the customer-reported length of flight delays was down by eight minutes, to an average 72 minutes. And average wait times at the ticketing/baggage check counter dipped from 14 minutes to 12 minutes over the past year.